Tin whiskers are slim metallic filaments that emanate from the surface of tin plating. These filaments are conductive and can cause shorts across adjacent conductors, resulting in some bad failures. Although different technologies are available for reducing or eliminating undesirable structures in electronic devices, most techniques cannot prevent undesirable structure growth such as tin or other whisker growth.

Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane), has developed and patented a technology that can detect undesirable structures such as a tampering event, tin whiskers, or an attempt to create a counterfeit device through alteration or unauthorized use of an electronic device.